An
Adjutant General is a military chief administrative officer.
Imperial Russia
In
Imperial Russia, the General-Adjutant () was a
Court officer, who was usually an army
general. He served as a personal aide to the
Tsar and hence was a member of the
Svita. General-Adjutant was not a rank but rather an honorary title.
The early
Table of Ranks included a similarly named army officer position, a general's
adjutant with a rank of
Colonel.
United Kingdom
In the
United Kingdom, the
Adjutant-General to the Forces (AG) is the head of the
British Army's infrastructure and administration and is the second most senior staff general in the Army after the
Chief of the General Staff. He used to generally hold the rank of
general, but is now usually a
Lieutenant-General.
Chief administrative officers in other
formations are entitled Deputy Adjutant-General (DAG), Assistant Adjutant-General (AAG), or Deputy Assistant Adjutant-General (DAAG), depending on the size of the formation.
The
Adjutant General's Corps is tasked with personnel management, financial management, general administration, military education, legal services, and
provost (
military policing and
prison) services.
United States
In the
United States, there are three definitions for this term:
- The chief administrative officer of the Army of the United States with the rank of Lieutenant General, who is subordinated to the Army Chief of Staff, and is known as the ACS, G-1. He is head of the Adjutant General's Corps, and is responsible for the procedures affecting personnel procurement and for the administration and preservation of records of all army personnel.
- The chief administrative officer of a major military unit, such as a division, corps, or army. This officer is normally subordinated to the unit Chief of Staff, and is known as the G-1.
- The senior military officer and de facto commander of a state's military forces, including the National Guard, the Naval Militia, and any State Defense Forces. He is known as TAG, and is subordinated to the Chief Executive. In 48 states, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands, the Adjutant General is appointed by the Governor. The exceptions are Vermont, where the Adjutant General is appointed by the legislature, South Carolina, where they are elected by the voters, and the District of Columbia, where a commanding general is appointed by the President of the United States of America.
Netherlands
The Adjutant General is the chief of the Queen's Military Household. Usually the Adjutant General holds the rank of a Lieutenant General or Vice Admiral.
The Adjutant General heads the staff of aides-de-camp, who prepare public appearances by members of the Royal House and assist with major events.
The aides-de-camp are members of the armed forces or the Royal Military Constabulary who have attained the rank of commander or lieutenant colonel. The various branches of the armed forces second these officers to the Court for a period of three years.
The Queen can appoint aides-de-camp extraordinary from among aides-de-camp who have completed their term of service. This means they can be recalled for temporary service in special circumstances.
The Adjutant General and the aides-de-camp wear a gold aiguillette (a decoration consisting of intertwined cords) on the right shoulder of their uniforms. On their lapels is the letter B (for Beatrix) and above it a crown.
Sri Lanka
In the
Sri Lanka, the
Adjutant General is a senior general in the
Sri Lanka Army General Staff, who heads the
Adjutant General's Branch which is responsible for personal administration, welfare, medical services and rehabilitation with the Sri Lanka Army.
Coming under the preview of the Adjutant General's Branch is the following Directorates;
- Directorate of personal administration
- Directorate of medical services
See also
